Riders Book Cup Final Spot - BBL Week 12 Recap - Hoopsfix.com

Riders Book Cup Final Spot – BBL Week 12 Recap

The latest round-up sees the first BBL Cup finalist confirmed, while the defending champions move closer to booking their spot in next month’s showpiece final.

Leicester Riders booked their spot in next month’s BBL Cup Final at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham after beating London Lions 75-65 in the second leg for an overall 152-130 aggregate victory. The Lions led by 10 on the night at one stage, but were unable to pull off the comeback. TrayVonn Wright and Neil Watson led the hosts with 16 and 15 points respectively.

Rob Paternostro’s side also moved second in the league after picking up their ninth win in 10 Championship games with a 66-76 success on the road against Manchester Giants. Wright again top scored with 21 points, while Drew Sullivan added 16 points including a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line. The Giants were led by Stefan Gill’s 26 points as he helped them close within three points with four minutes to go, before the visitors compiled a decisive 11-2 run to take the win.


Newcastle Eagles have taken a very big step closer to joining the Riders in the Final as they take a 28-point advantage back to Sport Central following their 85-113 victory away at Cheshire Phoenix in Sunday’s first leg. Rahmon Fletcher pulled the strings and put up an efficient 28 points, whilst dishing out seven assists as six different players hit double figures. The home side led 32-29 after the opening period, but were held to below 20 points for the remaining three quarters.

The Eagles had beat Leeds Force 73-85 on the road, Friday night, to improve to a perfect 14-0 record in the league. Fletcher led the way with a 20-point haul as the visitors were made to work hard for their third win over Leeds this season. Rob Marsden led five players in double figures with 14 points in a spirited display from the home side, as they battled until the end, losing the second half by just three points.


Surrey Scorchers claimed their fourth win in the league on Friday as Tayo Ogedengbe led his side to an 89-81 victory over Bristol Flyers. The hosts’ captain dropped 31 points in the win and also added 10 rebounds and five assists to carry the Scorchers home with K Ross-Miller impressing on debut with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals. For the Flyers, Mathias Seilund had 21 as they fell away in the final quarter to lose it 23-12 and subsequently their ninth league defeat.

The Scorchers were unable to make it two wins from two this weekend as they suffered a 94-77 loss away at Glasgow Rocks, on Sunday. The Rocks made a fast start, and after being pegged back in the second, they pulled away before the half-time break and eased to victory. Kieron Achara bagged 19 points from the bench, while Will Hall didn’t miss a shot in his 14-point haul as well as adding seven rebounds and five assists. Elvisi Dusha had 15 for the Scorchers, who drop to 4-6.


Results: Friday- Leeds Force 73-85 Newcastle Eagles, Surrey Scorchers 89-81 Bristol Flyers; Saturday- Leicester Riders 75-65 London Lions (BBL Cup SF – 152-130 on aggregate); Sunday- Glasgow Rocks 94-77 Surrey Scorchers, Manchester Giants 66-76 Leicester Riders, Cheshire Phoenix 85-113 Newcastle Eagles (BBL Cup SF)

Standings: Eagles 14-0; Riders 9-1; Wolves 9-4; Lions 6-4; Rocks 6-7; Phoenix 6-8; Force 5-9; Sharks/Scorchers 4-6; Raiders 3-7; Flyers 3-9; Giants 3-11.

Hoopsfix Star 5: Rahmon Fletcher, Tayo Ogedengbe, TrayVonn Wright, Will Hall, Kieron Achara

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